Be prepared at Canadian border

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, January 17, 2008

If youre going to be heading to Canada at the end of the month, youll want to be prepared.

New border crossing rules go into effect Jan. 31. And that means the standard flash of a drivers license wont be enough to get you across the border. It also means that until people get used to the new rules, you should be prepared for the dreaded d word  delays.

The new measures are part of the push to increase border security in a post 9/11 world. Such efforts have been fraught with delays, but these rules are ready to roll  and you need to be as well.

If you want to cross the border with only one document, youll need one of the following: U.S. or Canadian passport; trusted traveler card, (usually used by people who cross the border frequently); U.S. military ID with travel orders; U.S. merchant mariner document; Native American Tribal Photo ID card; Form I-872 American Indian Card; Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Card.

If you dont have one of those documents you can use your drivers license and one of the following to cross the border: birth certificate; U.S. Consular report of birth abroad; U.S. Certificate of Naturalization; U.S. Certificate of Citizenship; U.S. Citizen Identification Card; Canadian citizenship card; Canadian certificate of citizenship without photo.

The initial crossings may be a bit of a hassle, but the consequences will be far worse if we dont start taking steps to secure our borders.